Osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis (OA and RA, respectively) are destructive diseases of articular cartilage characterized by localized erosion of the cartilage surface. Findings have shown that articular cartilage from the femoral heads of patients with OA, for example, had a reduced incorporation of radiolabeled sulfate over controls, suggesting that there must be an enhanced rate of cartilage degradation in OA (Mankin et al. J. Bone Joint Surg. 52A (1970) 424-434). There are four classes of protein degradative enzymes in mammalian cells: serine, cysteine, aspartic and metalloproteases. The available evidence supports the belief that it is the metalloproteases that are responsible for the degradation of the extracellular matrix of articular cartilage in OA and RA. Increased activities of collagenases and stromelysin have been found in OA cartilage and the activity correlates with severity of the lesion (Mankin et al. Arthritis Rheum. 21, 1978, 761-766, Woessner et al. Arthritis Rheum. 26, 1983, 63-68 and Ibid. 27, 1984, 305-312). In addition, aggrecanase (a newly identified metalloprotease) has been identified that provides the specific cleavage product of proteoglycan, found in RA and OA patients (Lohmander L. S. et al. Arthritis Rheum. 36, 1993, 1214-22).
Metalloproteases (MPs) have been implicated as the key enzymes in the destruction of mammalian cartilage and bone. It can be expected that the pathogenesis of such diseases can be modified in a beneficial manner by the administration of MP inhibitors (see Wahl et al. Ann. Rep. Med. Chem. 25, 175-184, AP, San Diego, 1990).
MMPs are a family of over 20 different enzymes that are involved in a variety of biological processes important in the uncontrolled breakdown of connective tissue, including proteoglycan and collagen, leading to resorption of the extracellular matrix. This is a feature of many pathological conditions, such as RA and OA, corneal, epidermal or gastric ulceration; tumor metastasis or invasion; periodontal disease and bone disease. Normally these catabolic enzymes are tightly regulated at the level of their synthesis as well as at their level of extracellular activity through the action of specific inhibitors, such as alpha-2-macroglobulins and TIMPs (tissue inhibitor of MPs), which form inactive complexes with the MMP's.
Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is a cell-associated cytokine that is processed from a 26 kDa precursor form to a 17 kd active form. See Black R. A. “Tumor necrosis factor-alpha converting enzyme” Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2002 January; 34(1):1-5 and Moss M L, White J M, Lambert M H, Andrews R C. “TACE and other ADAM proteases as targets for drug discovery” Drug Discov Today. 2001 Apr. 1; 6(8):417-426, each of which is incorporated by reference herein.
TNF-α has been shown to play a pivotal role in immune and inflammatory responses. Inappropriate or over-expression of TNF-α is a hallmark of a number of diseases, including RA, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and sepsis. Inhibition of TNF-α production has been shown to be beneficial in many preclinical models of inflammatory disease, making inhibition of TNF-α production or signaling an appealing target for the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs.
TNF-α is a primary mediator in humans and animals of inflammation, fever and acute phase responses, similar to those observed during acute infection and shock. Excess TNF-α has been shown to be lethal. Blocking the effects of TNF-α with specific antibodies can be beneficial in a variety of conditions, including autoimmune diseases such as RA (Feldman et al, Lancet, (1994) 344, 1105), non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (Lohmander L. S. et al., Arthritis Rheum. 36 (1993) 1214-22) and Crohn's disease (Macdonald T. et al., Clin. Exp. Immunol. 81 (1990) 301).
Compounds that inhibit the production of TNF-α are therefore of therapeutic importance for the treatment of inflammatory disorders. Recently it has been shown that metalloproteases, such as TACE, are capable of converting TNF-αfrom its inactive to active form (Gearing et al Nature, 1994, 370, 555). Since excessive TNF-α production has been noted in several disease conditions also characterized by MMP-mediated tissue degradation, compounds which inhibit both MMPs and TNF-α production may also have a particular advantage in diseases where both mechanisms are involved.
One approach to inhibiting the harmful effects of TNF-α is to inhibit the enzyme, TACE before it can process TNF-α to its soluble form. TACE is a member of the ADAM family of type I membrane proteins and mediates the ectodomain shedding of various membrane-anchored signaling and adhesion proteins. TACE has become increasingly important in the study of several diseases, including inflammatory disease, because of its role in cleaving TNF-α from its “stalk” sequence and thus releasing the soluble form of the TNF-α protein (Black R. A. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2002 34, 1-5).
There are numerous patents and publications which disclose hydroxamate, sulphonamide, hydantoin, carboxylate and/or lactam based MMP inhibitors.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,355 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,534,491 (B2), describe compounds that are hydroxamic acid derivatives and MMP inhibitors.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,495,565 discloses lactam derivatives that are potential inhibitors of MMPs and/or TNF-α.
PCT Publications WO2002/074750, WO2002/096426, WO20040067996, WO2004012663, WO200274750 and WO2004024721 disclose hydantoin derivatives that are potential inhibitors of MMPs.
PCT Publications WO2004024698 and WO2004024715 disclose sulphonamide derivatives that are potential inhibitors of MMPs.
PCT Publications WO2004056766, WO2003053940 and WO2003053941 also describe potential inhibitors of TACE and MMPs.
There is a need in the art for inhibitors of MMPs, ADAMs, TACE, and TNF-α, which can be useful as anti-inflammatory compounds and cartilage protecting therapeutics. The inhibition of TNF-α, TACE and or other MMPs can prevent the degradation of cartilage by these enzymes, thereby alleviating the pathological conditions of OA and RA as well as many other auto-immune diseases.